Phillies reliever Brad Keller out for season with torn UCL, surgery possible

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Phillies reliever Brad Keller is expected to miss the rest of this season — and possibly more — with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.

Keller was placed on the 15-day injured list Thursday and said he will seek a second opinion from Dr. Keith Meister, a top specialist, before making a determination about surgery.

If the right-hander requires Tommy John surgery, he likely would miss most if not all of the 2027 season as well.

Philadelphia signed Keller to a $22 million, two-year contract last December to be the team’s primary setup man for All-Star closer Jhoan Duran.

“It sucks, for sure,” Keller said. “It was really weird because I felt good through my rehab process with my forearm. I felt good with my outing in Cincinnati. I just woke up the next day and it was really sore and it didn’t progress from there.”

Keller spent three weeks on the IL with right forearm tendinitis. He returned last week and made one appearance on July 8 against the Reds. He pitched one scoreless inning and didn't allow a hit. He walked one and had one strikeout.

“We felt like something was kind of up because he came back and was really good and we kind of expected him to be ready to go again the next day,” Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly said. “He was doing his work in the weight room and he wasn't really hurting, but we thought ... he went a little harder than you do when you're on a rehab. So, we thought the next day he'd be fine, and it just kept going day to day. Then he came in after playing catch and it was not good. That's when everything was set in motion.”

Keller said he had an MRI after the initial injury in June and it did not show a tear. He said if the tear occurred during his outing in Cincinnati, he didn’t feel it.

“I don’t really recall a pitch or anything,” he said. “I didn’t feel it pop. It’s really strange. I just woke up the next morning and it was stiff. I got a couple days off and then went and got an MRI on Monday and it showed this. It was pretty surprising news.”

Keller, who turns 31 this month, is 2-1 with a 4.02 ERA and three saves this season. He has appeared in 32 games, throwing 31 1/3 innings with 32 strikeouts and 13 walks.

Philadelphia put Keller on the IL retroactive to July 13 and recalled right-hander Seth Johnson from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to replace him on the active roster.

The second-place Phillies were already expected to be active looking to upgrade their bullpen ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline. Keller's injury could make that their top priority.

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